cannabisnews.com: Hemp Policy is Put To The Taste Test
Hemp Policy is Put To The Taste Test
Posted by FoM on December 07, 2001 at 14:04:45 PT
By Tim Christie, The Register-Guard
Source: Register-Guard
Advocates of hemp - basically the stems and seeds of the marijuana plant that don't get you high - say cookies, energy bars, salad dressings, chips and other food products laced with hemp oil and hemp seeds are nutritious.But the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says such products, if they contain even trace amounts of THC, marijuana's psychoactive ingredient, are illegal under federal drug law, and are part of a class of drugs that includes heroin and LSD.
A group of Eugene area hemp enthusiasts Tuesday tried to point out what they view as the fallacy of the federal policy. They set up a card table on the plaza outside the Federal Building in downtown Eugene and offered snack bars, blue corn chips and hummus made with hemp seeds and hemp oil to federal workers leaving for lunch.They also had poppyseed muffins and organic fruit juice - which contain trace amounts of opiates and naturally fermented alcohol, respectively, yet aren't subject to federal drug law."No one talks about poppyseed bagels in the same sentence as heroin," said Gerry Shapiro, owner of Merry Hempsters, a small Eugene business that makes lip balm with hemp oil."If this absurd and silly interpretation of the Controlled Substances Act is upheld, all this is going to go by the wayside."The event was billed alternatively as the National DEA Taste Test Challenge and National Hemp Food Awareness Day. Similar events were staged in about 70 cities across the United States, organizers said.They follow a new interpretation of the Controlled Substances Act announced by the DEA in October. Hemp foods that contain any amount of THC are illegal and may not be sold, manufactured or consumed in the United States, the DEA said. The hemp food industry has asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to issue a stay against the DEA's interpretation of how federal drug law pertains to hemp food products, said Eric Steenstra, president of Votehemp.com. The site advocates deregulation of industrial hemp. "We think the DEA's time and resources would be better spent on their primary mission rather than on something that poses no threat to human health or anything else," he said.The American hemp food industry is small, with about $5 million in sales, said John Roulac, president of California-based Nutiva -- www.nutiva.com/ -- which makes hemp food products. That's about how big the soy foods industry was 30 years ago, he said.Rogene Waite, a DEA spokeswoman in Washington, D.C., said the drug agency simply was trying to clarify federal law for anyone who had questions about what was legal.Food products that contain any measurable amount of THC are illegal, she said. As for poppyseeds, Congress has specifically exempted them from federal drug law when used in food, she said.Outside the federal courthouse, some workers declined the offer of hemp snacks while others gave it a try. Rich Fairbanks, a forester with the U.S. Forest Service, said he supported what the hemp advocates were doing and said marijuana should be decriminalized."It's a waste of time and money keeping this stuff criminalized," he said. Hemp activist Todd Dalotto signed a copy of his "Hemp Cookbook" with a message to the DEA - "May you learn to appreciate cannabis as much as I do" - and tried to deliver it to the local DEA office inside the Federal Building, but was barred by security officers.Source: Register-Guard, The (OR)Author: Tim Christie, The Register-GuardPublished: December 5, 2001Copyright: 2001 The Register-GuardContact: rgletters guardnet.comWebsite: http://www.registerguard.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Merry Hempstershttp://www.merryhempsters.com/FTE's Hemp Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/hls.htmProtesters Say Hemp is Food Not Drugshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11514.shtmlCannabis University Promotes Hemphttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11509.shtml
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Comment #10 posted by Soberstoner on December 09, 2001 at 03:03:59 PT:
This year has really opened up my eyes
I love the US, I honestly do. But I sit and read the policies that they are pushing through and I get scared. There are a lot of very bad things going on right now and most people dont even care...I see how people say Bush is doing a great job, which i will admit, I did like how he initially reacted. It was a great feeling to see America really come together like it has since before vietnam. But then I start hearing about all these bills ashcroft is pushing through, most of which arent even DISCUSSED by congress..Then we have the whole anthrax thing and they are more worried about shutting down the californians who thought they could help ease the suffering of people who were terminally ill. What makes it even worse is I live in the DC area..Everyday i head about another ruling like this passed through, i get a little bit closer to moving to vancouver..
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Comment #9 posted by p4me on December 08, 2001 at 00:43:51 PT
Lehder
I agree with you that we should withdraw from the economy that supports these policies. They want to spend 2 billion a year to analyze pee just to create another game for people to play and to give the employers the right to start analyzing people, their fluids, and DNA. There is something seriously wrong. I read an article at MJ.com from the DEA representative in LA that marijuana has no medicinal use in the US. This absolutely flies in the face of any reason. Why would nine states, Canada, Holland, and soon the UK have medicinal marijuana laws. It is an absolutely indefensible position for the government to take and not be bombarded by the media and others for how they could take such an akward position. Of course MJ does not meet the criteria for a schedule 1 narcotic and even NORML does not raise the issue of how could that be.The more I read the more unreal it all seems. The pill industry is dictating an absurd policy all for money. I am not taking their urine test and I think I will make it. I am not out to create any wealth when it furthers such a corrupted government and media. Vote against all incumbents. Boycott all newspapers and magazines.
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Comment #8 posted by Patrick on December 07, 2001 at 23:30:20 PT
FoM
Cannabis is the issue but freedom is the bottom line.Well said!!!
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on December 07, 2001 at 22:16:24 PT
goneposthole
You said: When is it all going to come to a screeching halt? At some point all of the lying is going to stop, no one is going to believe it anymore. Nobody.
How will it all take place?If I knew I would be a mind reader. Sometimes I wonder if we can ever be the same. Can we go back before 9-11? I try to believe we can because I like to believe in hope but I don't know this time. I have seen many things in my life but what is going on now is different then anything I ever experienced. We all must feel that way. I don't know if our society will be able to stand through all this. Freedom oriented people against the powers that be. If we stay strong and don't quit we might remake history. We could help save our world. This web site is about Cannabis but it is also about Freedom. Cannabis is the issue but freedom is the bottom line.
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Comment #6 posted by goneposthole on December 07, 2001 at 21:35:07 PT
Finally, where will it all take place?
Here.
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Comment #5 posted by goneposthole on December 07, 2001 at 21:17:28 PT
when,where,what,how,who,why
I guess if I were to begin a study, it would be of a nature as to why all of this marijuana prohibition began. Let's face it, we are experiencing situations that are problematic. These rumheads really are pigheaded.I renounced the devil and all his works and all his ways when I was confirmed as a true Christian believer. To mutter under my breath that what the devil is going on is not my idea of renunciation, hence these wide open blaring exhortations. So, what the devil is going on here?Somebody is up to no good kind of like the devil at play doing his handiwork. It just ain't gonna wash anymore. We all know who, their is no question of who.When is it all going to come to a screeching halt? At some point all of the lying is going to stop, no one is going to believe it anymore. Nobody.How will it all take place?
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Comment #4 posted by Lehder on December 07, 2001 at 19:29:46 PT
waste
Rich Fairbanks, a forester with the U.S. Forest Service, said he supported what the hemp advocates were doing and said marijuana should be decriminalized."It's a waste of time and money keeping this stuff criminalized," he said. He was referring to law enforcement's time and money, and that of the taxpayers. But the war on drugs has wasted much of my time, too, and that is why I utterly detest the US government; that is why my services as a physicist are no longer available to it and never again will be. I continue with my work independently, but will not contribute to the economy or to the advance of what I regard as evil and destructive.Lots of people feel the same as I do. Their number is growing and many have left the country, others have merely 'dropped out'. So they are not just the people needlessly in prison who no longer support America, but millions of others too. Addicted to stubborn, senseless policies that alienate millions of capable and industrious people, the US will not survive indefinitely as a political entity, and that is fine with me. Let it bleed.
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Comment #3 posted by mayan on December 07, 2001 at 17:30:12 PT
Hemp For Life
This is the only article regarding Tuesday's nationwide events that I've seen in the mainstream press! This plant must be utilized if we are to survive. With the "Duke of Oil" in the White House we will only have more petrochemicals rammed down our throats! Fossil fuels are putting to much carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere & this is causing global-warming(at least that's what the scientists not hired by the oil industry say). Industrial hemp can reverse this trend as it is one of the fastest growing plants we know of. If it were planted on a large scale it would suck the excess CO2 right out of the atmosphere & replace it with oxygen. Hemp could supply us with food,fuel,fibre,plastics,paper & building materials. Our farmers are struggling & desperately need this versatile crop. Instead, our farmers watch trucks loaded with bales of Canadian hemp drive right by them! Why do we put up with a government that is owned by & represents only the fossil-fuel industry? This is far more important than most people realize. We must think about the future now or there will not be a future.Contact the DEA by the Dec. 10th deadline!
http://votehemp.com/action.html
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Comment #2 posted by aocp on December 07, 2001 at 17:21:03 PT
Nice try
Advocates of hemp - basically the stems and seeds of the marijuana plant that don't get you high...Actually, i'd call it "basically the plant matter that cannot get you high". It's that emboldened certainty that the fuzz doesn't want you and yours to notice. What arrogance wrt the assumption that no one would care about this "fringe group". And we all know what assumption is the mother of, yes?
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Comment #1 posted by Dark Star on December 07, 2001 at 14:39:01 PT:
Deja Vu
"As for poppyseeds, Congress has specifically exempted them from federal drug law when used in food, she said."Check your history. Congress also exempted hempseed from constraints in 1937. Now we have a revisionistic interpretation of the law to protect the urine testing lobby. They deserve no support. This ruling must fall.
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